HBO is working on a TV series adaptation of acclaimed PlayStation exclusive The Last of Us, with Naughty Dog Vice President (and writer/creative director on The Last of Us) Neil Druckmann leading the charge. Druckmann will team up with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin to bring the show to life, though few other details have been announced. This adaptation will be a collaboration with Sony Pictures Television, as part of the company’s PlayStation Productions initiative, which started with the goal of turning games into films (and TV series). The Last of Us will follow the events of the first game, with Ellie and Joel as its protagonists. No casting announcements have been made yet.
As Variety reports, Mazin feels strongly about the partnership with Druckmann, saying:
Neil Druckmann is without question the finest storyteller working in the video game medium, and The Last of Us is his magnum opus. Getting a chance to adapt this breathtaking work of art has been a dream of mine for years, and I’m so honored to do it in partnership with Neil.
Druckmann also released a statement, praising Mazin for their work on Chernobyl:
From the first time I sat down to talk with Craig I was equally blown away by his approach to narrative and his love and deep understanding of The Last of Us. With Chernobyl, Craig and HBO created a tense, harrowing, emotional masterpiece. I couldn’t think of better partners to bring the story of The Last of Us to life as a television show.
Naughty Dog themselves broke the news on Twitter:
We’re so psyched to be teaming up with @HBO to create a new The Last of Us series with @Neil_Druckmann and @clmazin at the helm: https://t.co/AzjxMdjTbQ pic.twitter.com/6gFjdXtiMw
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) March 5, 2020
The news of the show’s production comes just a couple months away from the highly-anticipated next game in the series, The Last of Us Part II. After a couple of delays, it’s on schedule to release on May 29, 2020, exclusively for PS4. You can preorder it from Amazon now.
It’s unknown when the TV series will release, if it will come to the company’s streaming service(s) HBO Now/Go, or even who will star in the show. Though, if it’s anything like Netflix’s The Witcher series, The Last of Us has the chance to do extraordinarily well by pairing a popular franchise with lauded creators to bring it to a new medium.
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